Pacquiao says he respects Nike’s decision to drop him

“Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?”

MANILA, Philippines — Boxing star Manny Pacquiao said today he respects Nike’s decision to sever ties with him over his comments about gay relationships but stood pat on his opposition to same-sex marriage and added he’s happy that “a lot of people were alarmed by the truth.”

The American apparel giant said Wednesday it will no longer have any business dealings with the Filipino boxing champion, adding that it found his comments “abhorrent.” Nike says it strongly opposes any kind of discrimination.

“Whatever decision Nike makes is its decision and I respect that and its sponsorship of me now only involves my clothes for my fight,” Pacquiao told reporters during a break in his training for an April 9 bout with Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas.

“Our contract has already ended aside from sponsoring the boxing,” he said.

The Bible-quoting Pacquiao, 37, has become an active Christian in recent years and has publicly declared his opposition to same-sex unions. When he was asked by a local TV network as a Senate candidate about his views on same-sex marriages, Pacquiao came under fire for his curt reply.

“It’s just common sense,” Pacquiao said in the remarks posted online by the TV5 network this week.
Animals, he said, were better because they recognize gender differences, and “if you have male-to-male or female-to-female (relationships), then people are worse than animals.”

Among those who reacted strongly were popular gay celebrities in the country, some of whom declared they have lost their adulation for him.